There's No Stopping Now

Lewis woke up with his head leaning against the frosted window as he had fallen asleep. The nearly barren landscape outside was only made interesting by the rolling hills and mountains off in the distance. Thankfully, the cold window had numbed his headache. He rubbed the rest of the sleep out of his eyes, he sees a mountain exposing a new side like a coy lover giving a playful tease. The sunset behind only makes the sight more picturesque.

I must have slept most of the day for it to be sunset now. The orange yellow horizon submits to the drifting clouds and light blue sky as it blends into darkness. The locomotive is visible at a slight angle from his window and the tracks continue on curving to the northwest. Wait, why am I on this train to begin with? A young conductor walks by in a black suit with orange details. He holds a stamp and asks,

“Hello sir, may I please see your ticket?”

“Umm of course, let me find it real quick.” Lewis rifles through his pockets pulling out numerous scraps of paper, but no ticket. The pressure returns to his head as he jams his hands in the same pockets, pulling them out. “I apparently don’t have a ticket.”

“Well that’s quite a shame.” The conductor says, starring at him with piercing green eyes.

“Where are we even going?”

“No ticket. No answer.” The conductor extends an open gloved hand. Lewis scrambles to gather the faded paper scraps and shoves them into his hand.

“Thank you very much Mr. Remass, but unfortunately, your ticket has you in the wrong cabin. You’re actually supposed to be in the next one. Please follow me.” The conductor begins walking forward and Lewis stumbles to his feet.

“Where are we going?”

“Hurry along now, you don’t want to get left behind.” The conductor doesn’t turn around but stops when he get to the front and Lewis sees no one else in the cabin besides them. “Come on now.” He opens the door and proceeds through the short narrow hallway to the next car which booms with laughter and applause. Lewis takes each step slowly as his head begins pounding, but soon comes face to face with the conductor who checks his watch and says, “Just in time, that last car was about to fall off the tracks.”

“Wait, what?” Lewis turns around to see through the other hallway window, the train car they were both just in fall off the tracks and get smaller as it’s left behind. He looks back at the conductor while rubbing both his temples he says, “Answers, now.”

“But don’t you want to see your friends?” With that the conductor opens the door and Lewis sees a whole host of his friends. Greg from college is talking with Marty from high school. But Marty has never met Greg. Two of his ex-girlfriends, Lydia and Heather, are giggling in the corner, but they’ve also never met. Zack is back from Korea and Tim is home from Prague. His headache lessens as the conductor nudges him further into the car. Greg and Marty walk over and both swing in for a hug coupled with,

“We’ve been waiting for you man? What took so long?” Lewis leans into the hugs but then stares at them

“How do you two know each other?”

“What do you mean?” Greg said, then Walt from his childhood runs up and flings his arm around Lewis’s shoulder

“Lewis, you’ve made it just in time.”

“In time for what?” Walt points out the window to the sunset and the orange yellow horizon has given way to the dark blue and black sky filling with stars which shine on the same mountain, which showing a different side this time, as if it’s intentionally exposing more of itself.

“To go see your parents of course.” Walt begins a brisk pace to the other end of the cabin and Lewis doesn’t resist. The conductor opens the door and follows into the hallway. Walt thanks him and walks up to the next door. “They’re right in here.” An orange glow faintly illuminates the cabin. Lewis looks behind him to see that car also fall off the track. He lets out a panicked yell and runs to the opposite door grasping at the handle, but it won’t open. He slams into it with his shoulder but Walt runs back and grabs him by the shoulders saying,

“They’re gone now and your parents are waiting.” Lewis grabs his friend and says,

“Tell me what’s going on Walt. Where are we?”

“At your birthday party.” The conductor opens the door and reveals Lewis’s immediate and extended family sitting around a cake with numerous lit candles on top.

“Mom? Dad?” Lewis says walking into the next car. The train picks up speed and the momentum knocks him off his feet and into a seat. His Dad walks forward and hands him some key lime cake with a small fork stuck in the top.

“Your Mom found this cake recipe and thought you might like it. Maybe Alice would like some too?”

“Alice is here?” Lewis pipes up, “Where is she?”

“She’s in the next car, waiting for you. Just remember son, our fantasies aren’t what we really want. She’s the real deal.” Lewis drops the cake and runs to the next door, bursting through it and into the hallway. He struggles to open the next door and hears a loud click from behind him. He turns around and for the third time see the car disconnect. He rushes back and beats on the door till his knuckles bleed. A deep guttural cry explodes from his mouth as he sinks to the floor. Tears and snot run down his face, until he remembers Alice.

“Alice! Alice! I’m coming.” He gets to his feet and makes his way to the door which opens with ease. A brunette girl is standing there in the middle of the cabin and upon seeing him, exclaims

“Lewis!” She runs to him and wraps her arms around his neck and he her back. “I knew you’d come for me.” They’re knocked over by the train picking up speed. Lewis cushions her fall and she says, “Oof, sorry.” Sucking up the mucus and tears, Lewis says,

“I’ll always break the fall for you, after all, what’s a husband good for if not a landing pad.” She laughs and kisses him. “Alice, where are we? Where are we going? I feel like we’re going in circles but I don’t even remember getting on this train.” Darkness now enveloped the outside world broken up by the few stars left in the sky. The only thing illuminating the cabin were orange floor and ceiling lights plus a faint orange glow from the front about twelve feet away.

“I don’t know. I just showed up here and have been all alone until you walked in.” She smiled at him and he starred up into the beautiful face of his wife. It was her feminine form that initially drew him in, then it was those rich hazel eyes, but what really hooked him on her was the peace he felt and the desire to be better for her. It was an unquestioned clarity unlike ever before. No butterflies or fireworks.

They stood up and looked around the room. Unlike all the other cars, there was no other door. The two looked all over the room, under seats and tables, through the overhead compartments, even tried to go through the back door, but it wouldn’t budge. Alice grabbed his hand and gestured towards the front. They approached the orange glow and saw 200 mph but it kept ticking up, 201, 202, 203, 204.

“I don’t think we’re slowing down.”

“It doesn’t seem so.”Alice said, looking down at the growing number, 208, 209, 210, 211. Lewis looked up through the window above to see them rapidly approaching that same mountain, once beautiful and inviting, now cold and dark. Lewis wrapped Alice in his arms and said,

“I love you.” Then the train slammed into the mountain.

––––––

His eyes opened to a sterile white ceiling above him. As he blinked a couple times, he heard a woman’s voice say,

“He’s awake” and people flooded into sight but they remained blurry. I can’t move my neck.

“Lewis, can you hear me?” This woman was different, but familiar, her quivering voice continued, “Say something, say anything!”

“Yes?” The same voice started sobbing. He blinked a couple more times and they came into focus. His parents teary-eyed and holding each other looked down at him. Towards the bottom of his vision was a mass of something brown. I can’t move anything but barely my lips.

“Thank God you’re alive” said his Dad while his mother cried. The other woman was still sobbing, but this was much closer.

“I can’t move anything” Lewis mustered. The brown mass moved up and what came into his vision was a sight for sore eyes. Alice sat there next to him. Her red and puffy eyes poured waterfalls down past her inflamed nostrils and quivering lips. She slowly leaned down close to him and said,

“I love you. I love you Lewis Remass.” A tear came to his eye.

“I love you too Alice.” He took a breath, “What happened?” His Mom still clung to her husband, but wasn’t as hysterical. Alice wiped his tear away and said,

“You were in an accident. A train went off the tracks and you survived, by the grace of God you survived.”

“How many others survived?”

“Two” his Dad said, “You and two other people survived out of two hundred and twelve. You were coming home from a business trip and the train derailed about half an hour from its destination.” The four of them spoke not another word, praising God in the silence of their heart that Lewis survived until he said,

“I had the weirdest dream.” He paused for a breath, “we were on a train,” – “going in circles around this mountain” – “and I kept going through these” – “different cars and you were all there” – “but I each time I moved on” – “your car disconnected and” – “I lost you”

“Hey” Alice said, leaning down and kissing his forehead, “we’re all here now, and that’s what matters.”